Speakers touch on 'nostalgia' at St. John's graduation

St. John's University graduates talk with family and friends before the start of their commencement ceremony Sunday in the St. John's Abbey and University Church.
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Jason Wachter, jwachter@stcloudtimes.com
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COLLEGEVILLE – Max Berkelman approached the stage at St. John's Abbey and University Church.

Wearing a black cap and gown, he grabbed his bachelor's degree diploma from St. John's President Michael Hemesath before bolting into his mother's hugging arms.

Kathleen Blatz, Berkelman's mother, was the guest speaker for the 2014 commencement.

The former chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court shared anecdotes and advice for her son and his 453 fellow undergraduate classmates — the fourth-largest graduating class in school's 157 years.

"It was a pretty unique experience," said Berkelman, the youngest of three Blatz sons. "It was a rush. I enjoyed every second of it. I thought she did a great job."

Berkelman failed in his attempt to peek at his mother's speech beforehand.

"I got my hand slapped," joked the political science major.

The former 15-year state representative in the Minnesota House did playfully pick on her son.

Blatz told a story of how a six-year-old Berkelman was punished by being grounded from WWE and all "fake wrestling."

"I probably had something to do with it by letting him watch it in the first place," Blatz joked.

Blatz likened the transition of graduation from college to moving to the next swing of the trapeze.

"What are you going to do after graduation? Do you have a job? Where are you going to live? What are you going to do with the rest of your life?" Blatz said. "For some of you, we know at least some of the answers. However many of the answers are yet to come."

Blatz also shared advice she's offered to young lawyers.

"I am asked time and time again, 'What type of law should I go into? Prosecutor? Defense attorney? Corporate law? Environmental?' " Blatz said. "My response is always the same: It is not what area but how you practice law that matters.

"It's not what you do or where you do it — what matters is how you do it."

Blatz also has various ties to the school outside of her son.

She had two aunts who were nuns at St. Benedict's Monastery. She also had two uncles that were priests.

And she has five relatives who attend either St. John's University or the College of St. Benedict.

"While I'm proud of my personal connection, my respect for St. John's University isn't rooted in family bias or parochialism," Blatz said. "It is a respect that has grown out of many, many encounters."

Voting classmates chose graduate Michael Rogers, a communication major from Mankato, to be class speaker.

Rogers shared a story of how he was recently returned a freshman creative writing notebook in the last week of class.

"I reread my experiences — this process brought me back to the good, the bad and pubescent," Rogers joked. "Had the notebook found its way to me any earlier, it wouldn't have inspired such significant nostalgia. These things just had to happen over time."